TAKE YOUR FINAL EXAM IN MARINE ECOLOGY LYING IN A HAMMOCK BY THE CARIBBEAN SEA!

Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation is an intensive, experiential coral reef ecology course that covers a ten-day timeframe and includes classroom, field and laboratory components. Field work will be mainly snorkeling and exploring the marine ecology underneath. As much as eight hours per day will be spent at sea. This is a very physical course. Students should be prepared for rigorous activity with a lot of sun exposure.

The focus of this course is to learn the key biotic and abiotic components of a coral reef system and how they interact. Students will come to understand the worldwide importance of coral reefs as well as their “canary in a coal mine” status. The course explores the current state of the Belize Barrier Reef east of Ambergris Caye and south to Caye Caulker. The biological and ecological history of this reef system will be used to inform attempts to predict its future under varied management strategies. Our local findings will be theoretically applied to all coral reef systems. We will also explore anthropogenic activities that have positive and negative impacts on our marine ecology and these ecosystems in general. Lectures will encompass uninformed human activities locally and globally that can be addressed to achieve a more positive outcome for coral reefs.

Belize’s Barrier Reef is a series of coral reefs straddling the coast of Belize. The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300 kilometers long section of the 900 kilometers long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. It is the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling.

The Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large diversity of plants and animals and is one of the most diverse ecosystems of the world. It is comprised of 70 hard coral species, 36 soft coral species, 500 species of fish, and hundreds of invertebrate species. With 90% of the reef still needing to be researched, it is estimated that only 10% of all species have been discovered.

SUBJECTS COVERED FOR MARINE ECOLOGY

• Introduction & Orientation
• Barrier Reef Structure
• Coral Ecosystems
• Nurse Sharks
• Green Turtles
• Free Time To Discover Belize!

Class schedules may be subject to change depending on location availability